Avasa
Avasa is the in-universe world that is predominately featured in Legacy of Embers. Michael has also created a Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Campaign centred in it. Magic Magic in Avasa is rare and is often the work of rituals, transmutations, and other more alchemical variations. Across the Old World, magic is frowned upon. People fear those who have the ability and those who have the ability often believe themselves greater than the common man. In the New World, however, magic seems alive, almost the entire inner portions of the continent seem to thrive in magic. While they also practice rituals, transmutations, and alchemical variations, they seem more advanced in magic than anyone could hope to be in Telsia. Words of Creation A crossover from the world of faith and religion, the creation myth that is often believed across Avasa is that the Prime Deities created the world using their voice to command all of what was there before, the building blocks of a world, and put them into place. What they said to it, has become a language known as Creation, or the Words of Creation. Stories of grand wizards and amazing feats of people who challenged even Gods revel in the Words of Creation. For example, a passage from The Dying Star: Szar felt the blood drenching his hand that desperatly clenched upon the open wound to his side. Like being scorched by boiling water, the blood ran needles into his hand. His vision blurred to the sides, almost as if he had begun to squint, although he knew his eyes were open widely. Where was his wit now? His mind that had gotten him so far? Nowhere. The answer was nowhere. But like tendrils that wrapped around and bandaged his shattered mind, were the whispers, whispers of deceit, of darkness, evil, treachery... salvation. His voice ushered a silent word, to which not even he remembered, and from his hands, no longer the blood that burned, but a flame, as humble as the rising sun. Of course, no one knows what those Words of Creation are, but if they did, who knows what someone could be capable of. Religion Religion in Avasa is very straightforward since Gods have walked among the mortals in the realm. There are two sets of known Gods, the Prime Deities, and the Lesser Deities, however, upon the discovery of the New World, there may be many more. Prime Deities The Prime Deity of the Old World is/was Lord Radian. He is/was the Lord of the Light, of all of humanity. He is now often considered the Dead God. While some still cling on to his belief, many have turned to Lesser Deities, or some have even abandoned faith altogether, which may explain how Telsia is at the moment. There is another Prime Deity, in the stories of old, Lady Twili was always Lord Radian's counterpart, however, her appearance has never been seen. Some now speculate the New World is her domain, while the Old World was his. Lesser Deities There are many Lesser Deities, too many to count. Each small facet of life, real or not, has a Lesser Deity. Some find their faith in them, some are prayed too only once in a year, maybe once in a life. However those who are devoted to Lesser Deities are often seen as cultists, and after the events of The Rekindling, perhaps they are rightfully seen. Geography It is the era of exploration in Avasa, and the known world may not be all that is known for long. The maps of the world are split up in two, one that details the Old World and one that details the New World. Old World The Old World consists of the continents of Qasa, Telsia, and Oinope. As the Telsians begin to spread their influence, the maps become more centred around them. So, using Telsia as a base, Qasa is a dry continent to the south and Oinope is the lands of the west past the rugged mountains. Map of Old World Of Telsia, the most influential Kingdom, conversely a budding Empire, is Ascalar. Ascalar was the centre of the strife caused by The Rekindling which led it to become the first to find the New World, of which it extracts endless riches the rest of Telsia can only hope to imagine. Map of Telsia Map of Ascalar New World The New World is still heavily uncharted, unsure if there are even multiple continents to the new lands. To part away from the shore is dangerous, as the creatures of the night strike and they grow more vicious the deeper within the continent you go. From the shore, it is evident that the New World holds much wilder biodiversity than the Old World, with plenty of forests, mountains, and even jungles along its southern shore. Various Dated Maps of the New World History The History of Avasa is long and differs depending on who you ask. Instead, perhaps the most recent event is of the most interest. The Rekindling The most recent major event in the world is The Rekindling. After a series of mundane wars, a disease swept through the world, originating in Oinope and moving eastward, decimating over forty percent of the population. In the three decades, the disease festered the slow crumbling of society was evident. The regimes that lasted centuries began to topple, the social classes that seemed so standard were dissolved, and in such a time, order was hardly kept. However, a group of knights, paladins, and doctors, founded themselves on the belief of Lord Radian and along with them, came order and the end of the disease. However, suspicions did begin to arise when this Order began to fill their ranks into either leaders or high-ranking officials of the re-inducted nations that were on the brink of collapse. Lewyen Animassi. The Truthseeker. The Hand of Justice. The Rekindler. Lewyen was the hero of the era, originally a member of the Order, he betrayed them to reveal the truth behind it all. For years, they hunted him, as he worked to remove or discredit the high-ranking officers who unjustly received their positions. It seemed as if his work led him to be a hero, as he uncovered that the old Order used their positions to attract sacrifices to bring in their God, not Radian as they claimed, but a Lesser Deity, Xylas, the Lesser Deity of Desire. In his attempt to end the ritual bringing Xylas into the world, he was killed. As Xylas entered the world, Lord Radian himself became one with Lewyen. And together, they fought Xylas. This is the one true failure of Lewyen, Xylas took Lewyen-Radian down with him as he was felled. You see, a God cannot enter the mortal plane without risk, the risk is that they no longer play by their rules, but rather the rules of mortality. For seven years, there were six hours of the day for every eighteen hours of the night as the world mourned for the death of their Prime Deity, Lord Radian. Since the Rekindling, Lord Radian, no longer the Lord of the Light, but rather, the Dead God.